ST. CLOUD — The unused parts of the renovated City Hall here are set to be razed this spring to make way for green space and possible future development.
The St. Cloud City Council on Monday approved a $2.85 million bid from St. Cloud-based Landwehr Construction to demolish the unused sections of what had been Technical High School.
St. Cloud moved city offices to the historic 1917 and 1938 sections of Tech early last year. The area to be razed includes the 1955 and 1975 additions that housed the cafeteria, shop areas and gymnasium before the school district vacated the building in 2019 and built a new school on the south side of town.
Before moving into the former Tech, the city razed the two-story building on the western side of the campus that was connected to the main building with skyways. That area is now used as parking.
The former City Hall along Hwy. 23 in downtown St. Cloud was razed last year to make way for a new Bremer Bank. The city had housed its offices in that building since the mid-1980s.
St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said the total cost to relocate city offices into the former Tech, including the abatement and demolition projects, is about $15 million. The most recent bid came in under initial estimates, Kleis said.
"We came in below where we expected to be, so we're able to finish that last piece that will take down the north side," Kleis said.
The city took on the responsibility to redevelop the former school to ensure it was done in a way fitting with the historic neighborhood surrounding the property. The city courted private developers to turn the former school into housing, but the only company to respond backed out because the anticipated costs were too high. The city announced plans to move to a renovated Tech in 2021.
The city also took over ownership of the historic Clark Field, which was home to Tech High School's football program for decades, as well as the school district's former media services building along Hwy. 23, which the city is planning to sell for commercial use.
